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Banning child work a dangerous move

Blanket bans on children’s work can have terribly negative impacts, driving children into more hazardous forms of informal labour.

Shakil Khan, 10, works in a garment factory in Old Dhaka. Today, the garment industry is not the major employer of children in Bangladesh. More than 90 per cent of working children are engaged in the more hazardous informal sectors.
(Nafeesa Binte Aziz / Toronto Star) | Order this photo

By Patricia Erb

Wed., Oct. 23, 2013

Since the deadly collapse of the factory in Bangladesh, international attention has focused on the working conditions in garment factories in developing countries — especially for children. A powerful series of articles in the Star, The Clothes on Your Back, recently delved into this and related issues. And we are seeing a renewed call for action from many organizations around the world. But is ending all forms of child work the right solution?

At Save the Children, we have been pushing for decades to help working youths up to the age of 18 improve their lives and those of their families. During our many years doing this work we have come to understand that while the economic exploitation of children is clearly unacceptable, the whole picture of children involved in work is much more complex than it appears at first blush.

Child work is not a uniform phenomenon. While some forms of work are harmful, there are types of labour that are beneficial for children. Work can provide children the opportunity to develop skills, self-confidence and to participate in their community.

The long history of children working in garment factories in Bangladesh provides unique insight into this reality.

In 1992, there was a call to end employment of children, which received strong international support. Frightened by the risk of boycotts, the manufacturers expelled children from the factories. However, the parties did not consider what these children would do instead, nor were the program options provided considered viable by the children and their families. Because of this, many children ended up in more harmful forms of labour, such as working as servants, working in the streets or even prostitution.

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Experiences like this oblige us to look at the situation of working children carefully. As we develop our interventions, we must take into account the specific and often troubling contexts in which these children live. Blanket bans on children’s work can have terribly negative impacts, such as children ending up in forms of work that can be far more damaging than factory labour, especially since they are often invisible and informal and therefore difficult or impossible to regulate.

Effective intervention requires that we first build partnerships with governments, local authorities, and the private sector to create positive environments for children, including continued access to quality education.

We also have to work to reduce the harms children face in their workplace — taking into consideration each individual’s age and capacity — and enhance the benefits that they can receive. All this must be done in consultation with the children involved.

In Bangladesh, the inequalities are so prevalent that children have very few opportunities to thrive in dignified conditions. Today, the garment industry is not the major employer of children. More than 90 per cent of working children are engaged in the more hazardous informal sectors.

We believe that among the best protections we can provide for these children is to collaborate with local NGOs to find responsible ways to improve the conditions of child work in the textile industry. This means we arrange basic education and vocational training that meets the needs of the industry and complies with occupational safety and health requirements. After children complete an apprenticeship and appropriate training, the newly skilled workers are able to get more formal positions at their former factories, now with decent wages and appropriate conditions for their age.

Children are the first victims of our inequitable systems. We need to take immediate action to protect them. But to do that efficiently and sustainably, we must do the difficult work of determining what’s in the best interest of children, given their specific context. This means consulting with the children themselves, working to understand local realities and considering all of the available options, including dignified work combined with relevant education.

Only by considering the child’s specific situation will we be able to collectively protect working children and to enable them to develop into skilled, healthy and self-confident citizens. In some cases, dignified work is their best chance for achieving their full potential.

Patricia Erb is president and CEO of Save the Children Canada

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